Our whole generation has grown watching him bat session after session, match after match, opponent after opponent and he is still left with some gas in the tank.

India's unsung hero Kumble recedes into history
Kumble was appointed the captain of the Indian Test cricket team in November 2007. His first assignment as captain was the three-Test home series against Pakistan that India won 1-0
By M Shoaib Ahmed
India's legendary leg-spinner -- and lately captain too -- Anil Kumble announced his retirement from international cricket during the final day of the drawn third Test against Australia after sustaining a finger injury on day three of the match in Delhi.

Pakistan's former captain and wicket-keeper, the off-again and on-again wicket-keeping coach at the National Cricket Academy, somewhat notorious as the whistle-blower on the match-fixing scene and otherwise quite a vocal proponent of radical change in Pakistan's domestic and international cricket structure, Rashid Latif continues to sound out the national cricket authorities about the fine-tuning our cricket desperately needs.

Rashid has recently sent his brief for uplifting domestic cricket in Pakistan to the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He was also gracious enough to forward a copy of his letter to me and I believe the juice really needs to be extracted out of his suggestions. Some of them really are worthy of being implemented if someone in the PCB is actually listening.

Unlike former Pakistan great Imran Khan, who wants only seven 'associations' playing first-class cricket on the national circuit and who would like all departmental cricket to be banned foreover, Rashid appears to take a course that suggests a compromise.

Former pace bowler Sarfraz Nawaz recently projected the cause of the country's regional cricket associations, saying that they should be kept in the forefront. The new Federal Minister of Sports, Peer Syed Aftab Hussain Shah Jillani, himself a former first-class cricketer from Hyderabad and Sindh, too wants to make the regional associations stronger and play meaningful cricket.

My personal opinion in regards to domestic cricket keeps on making the pages of 'The News on Sunday', apparently without making many waves in the echelons of power, although some portions of these writings have been seriously discussed by those who really matter. Today, however, we are talking about what Rashid Latif has to say.

He writes: "...to engage maximum available players, I suggest two parallel competitions of departmental and regional teams. Matches of both the tournaments should be played during the same time span. I personally believe that the teams of departments are much stronger then those of the regions therefore there is no match between the departmental and regional sides, thus these competitions should be held separately like the Patron's Trophy and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy but during the same time so that maximum players can take part in it."

Just to refresh Rashid's memory, and I am sure he is already well aware of it, there's no cricketing system that either the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP) or the PCB has not tried -- and discarded -- over the last sixty years or so. I'm sure Rashid remembers the domestic cricket system, especially of the late 1990s, when he himself was an active cricketer.

At least in 1997-98 and 1998-99, if not earlier or later, the two major first-class competitions -- the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the Patron's Trophy -- were played side by side, that is during the same time span. One is not sure whether the cricket board felt that this was an exercise that produced the 'required' results because in 1999-00 it was decided to hold the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Championship with all divisional and departmental teams put in the same competition!

The departments did their own cause no good when, in 2003-04, the PCB had a non-first-class Inter-Departmental Qualifying Tournament among 27 teams, which was supposed to provide eight top teams that would have played later in the season's Patron's Trophy event. As only the two top sides from each of the four groups were to qualify, teams like National Bank and Habib Bank found themselves out of the picture.

Just to accommodate these two sides, which have generally been considered two of the leading departmental sides in the country, it was later decided the three top teams from each group will play in the Patron's Trophy. So, apart from the two banks, the two other teams to benefit from the windfall were Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and the Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

Perhaps, it was poetic justice that neither National Bank nor Habib Bank made the Patron's Trophy final that season. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) did and the latter won the title.

My only criticism of the departments, although I am a strong supporter of their immense role in national cricket that they have already played, is that they don't develop players of their own and instead just look at grabbing cricketers from the associations. Perhaps, that's why parallel domestic tournaments will be a good idea, where players can appear for both their regions and the departments that employ them during the same time span.

Moreover, the departments have not raised their own grounds, except for a very few. They do provide jobs to some of the best players in the country but they are also trigger-happy to disband their teams altogether if the Chief Executive is not satisfied or the marketing department feels that the company is not getting enough promotional mileage.

We will surely discuss these ailments in columns in our forthcoming issues, but Rashid has a good point to make when he writes:

"The departmental and regional cricket should be kept apart from each other. At present the financial assistance is entirely the responsibility of the PCB, but I suggest that a region/province should be encouraged to generate funds on its own. I have been witnessing it for the past 10 years that the PCB pumps money into regional associations. Instead, we should follow the example of established domestic structures around the world, where a regional or a state team generates about 70% of the amount itself and, of course, the local board chips in with the rest (for example County Cricket in England, state competitions in Australia, etc).

"To me it's a waste of money because in spite of this heavy spending the outcome is not up to the mark as some 20% undeserving players represent the regional teams. To avoid this, the selection should be on 100% merit." Point taken.

About the departments, Rashid says: "Departmental cricket was introduced in Abdul Hafeez Kardar's era and no doubt it has served Pakistan cricket very well. I suggest that Grade I and Grade II should be merged together. By doing so those players who don't play first-class cricket can also come to the forefront. At present around 35 to 40 departments are operating in Pakistan but only eight teams can qualify for Grade I -- this number needs to be increased to at least 12 -- by doing so more players will get jobs and of course playing opportunities. (The example of the FA Cup in England can be followed where teams from all over England participate)."

About the role of regional associations, he writes: "I have been witnessing for the past 15 to 20 years that the associations are heavily dependent upon the PCB. It's about time that this practice should be altered, and a region should be asked to generate its own fund, moreover a region should be given the liberty to approach any player from any region for example, if Karachi region wants to play Shoaib Akhtar, they can after paying Shoaib a certain amount. By doing this a sense of competition would be evolved amongst the regions which would eventually be good for Pakistan cricket."

Rashid talks about various other things: junior cricket, club level tournaments, sponsorship, TV rights, coaches, expenditures made by the PCB in various directions, regional academies, etc. And he has his usual very intelligent approach towards all issues.

This article was just to give a glimpse into what one of our former Test cricketers feels about the prevailing structure. More of the same next week.

Indian cricket's bowling backbone for over a decade, Anil Kumble has called it a day from Test cricket after the third Test against Australia at Delhi last week. The announcement, midway through the game, surprised spectators in the ground and fans around the globe.

Kumble finishes his Test career as the third highest wicket-taker (619) behind Muttiah Muralitharan (756) and Shane Warne (708). As far as his average and strike rate are concerned Kumble is also only behind these two bowlers.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble remained undoubtedly India's most effective match-winner for the last 18 years. He played a vital role in India's victories. There is a huge difference in Anil Kumble's performance in India's won and lost matches. He took 288 wickets in 43 Tests that India won in his presence. His average was just 18.75 and strike rate 44.4 while when he was not at his best his average went very high -- 41.35 -- for his 124 wickets in India's lost matches.

Injury also affected his performance for quiet sometime, as he had taken only 28 wickets at a high rate of 51 since the last one year. During his 132-Test career Kumble's share of wickets in his team wins was 34.37% on Indian soil.

"I didn't expect anything less than the best from him, Anil never let us down. It's been an honour for me to be in the same dressing room as Anil for all these years and watch him go about his work in his own quiet way." The premier Indian batsman Rahul Dravid gave these remarks in 1994 when he was vice-captain of the India side.

Dravid went on to say: "He's faced a lot of criticism, people have questioned his ability, but Anil shows that when it comes to experience and quality, there are not too many better than him."

Anil Radhakrishna Kumble has been an unorthodox leg-spinner and India's main striker in the last decade; he is an ideal bowler in Indian conditions. But, interestingly, in his career Kumble has overall captured the most number of wickets against world champions Australia. He has taken 107 Australian scalps in just 17 matches at an average of 27.76. He has taken five or more wickets in an innings 10 times and twice 10 plus wickets in a match that proves he is a quality bowler even against tough sides.

Kumble has a strong record on his home grounds against Australia, taking 29 wickets from five matches at 21.10 runs apiece while Shane Warne doesn't have a good record in India as he has taken only 20 wickets in six Tests with a high average of 52.

In the early stages of his career, Kumble struggled to make an impact outside home, but he turned that around magnificently in Australia in 2003-04, prying out an incredible 24 wickets in three Test matches. Three months later, his 6-71 at Multan helped India win their first ever Test in Pakistan in 2004.

The straighter one that zips through the batsman's defence is his main weapon. He has never been a big turner of the ball, but his line and length and accuracy make him a difficult opponent on spinning tracks. The frequent shoulder injury has somewhat taken the sting out of his bowling for sometime.

No bowler in India's history has won more Test matches for his team than Anil Kumble, particularly on Indian soil, where his deliveries burst like packets of water on the feeblest hint of a crack.

Kumble, 38, made his Test debut against England in Manchester in 1990, but failed to leave any impression. In the first innings he bowled 43 overs, conceded 105 runs and took three wickets. In the second innings he failed to take any wicket in the 17 overs he bowled. Allan Lamb was his first Test wicket.

He was promptly forgotten for a couple of years, before making a comeback to the team on the basis of an outstanding Irani Trophy performance in 1992-93. The turning point of his career came on the tour to South Africa in 1992 when he took 6-53 in the second Test in Johannesburg.

In his first home Test series, against England in 1993 he produced his first series-winning performance. He took 21 wickets in three Tests.

He took his first ten-wicket haul in his 14th Test against Sri Lanka at Lucknow in January 1994 and got his first Man of the Match award. His 100th, 300th and 400th wickets all came at his home ground in Bangalore.

In February 1999, Kumble became only the second bowler after England's off-spinner Jim Laker to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings, which he achieved against Pakistan at Delhi.

Kumble's first major performance abroad came in 2002 in England when he took 7-159 at Headingley and proved that he could win India matches abroad as India won that match by an innings and 46 runs.

In December 2004, Kumble, in his 90th Test, equalled Kapil's record of most Test wickets (434) by an Indian bowler, against South Africa at Eden Gardens.

Kumble with his outstanding performance of 6-78 against West Indies in 2006 gave India a historic victory in the Caribbean after 35 years.

Last year for the home series against Pakistan, Anil Kumble was appointed captain of the Test side and he emerged successful in his first assignment as India won the Test series by 1-0. In his next major task, the Test series against world champions Australia, after losing the first two Tests Kumble & Co bounced back and won the third Test at WACA, Perth, by 74 runs.

Leadership pressures affected his performance. As skipper he played 14 Tests and took 53 wickets at an average of 39.49 against his non-captain average of 28.73. As captain he never took a 10 wickets haul in a Test.

Kumble has also picked up 337 wickets in 271 ODIs -- making him the highest Indian wicket-taker in One-day Internationals -- at an average of 30.89. His economy rate was quiet reasonable at 4.30. But he announced his retirement from ODIs after the World Cup in West Indies last year.

This was either the most nakedly commercial exercise imaginable or a near-charitable undertaking. It either 'was' or 'wasn't' cricket

By Abdul Ahad Farshori

Texan billionaire Allen Stanford's Twenty20 for $20 million challenge in the Caribbean was ridiculed as an event lacking the genuine meaning of competitive cricket, but in the end it reaffirmed some of the sport's oldest lessons and confirmed the confused state cricket finds itself in.

The Stanford Superstars XI, the cheesy name given to the West Indian select eleven for the game with England, proved last Saturday that an underdog can win if it prepares better, stays focused on the prize, works hard for it and above all, wants it more than its opponents.

The Stanford Superstars XI led by Chris Gayle, who had prepared for the Antigua match with a six-week training camp coming at the end of months of preparation, won comfortably with all 10 wickets intact and seven overs to spare as they confidently knocked off England's woeful 99 all out.

In front of a delighted capacity 10,000 crowd, Gayle's team celebrated their sudden transformation into millionaires while England's far better paid players, who have been reported to be uncomfortable with the entire event to begin with, were left to fly home empty-handed.

It was a miserable end to what must have been a bizarre week for England's players. They flew out to Antigua with their board having long ago agreed to be part of the one-match playoff for an unprecedented purse -- which was considered to be the biggest ever prize money for a single match -- and were then faced with a volley of columns in their newspapers denouncing the event as a vulgar circus which had sold the soul of cricket.

Captain Kevin Pietersen added to the impression of the players' discomfort when he said: "Yes, it's a lot of dosh but the longer this week goes on the more I want to get it over with."

Stanford, the brash Texan billionaire who has put up $100 million over five years for the event, was ridiculed after he was captured on camera with an England player's wife on his knee and humiliated when even before the match the England and Wales Cricket Board intimated they would be reviewing their relationship with the American.

The short and brutish nature of Twenty20 cricket and the big sum involved drew analogies with boxing yet it was as if an ageing heavyweight champion had agreed to fight a young, hungry challenger for a big pay-day but at the weigh-in wondered out loud if there was really any point in fighting at all.

winner-takes-all nature of the match sparked fears in the England and Wales Cricket Board and among England's players' association, about the potentially damaging effect on squad morale of dropping a catch which didn't just lose the game but cost your teammates a life changing sum of money.

And then there was the question of what it meant for the England cricket team to be playing in a match where the only point at stake was not victory over an old rival but the cash on offer.

England captain Kevin Petersen was certainly well aware of the public relations disaster looming if England, were they to win, rejoiced too much in their own good fortune for so, relatively, little effort.

While the West Indian players will have little doubt about whether the event can be considered a success, for England the entire week was a public relations nightmare. But what about Stanford, who had his own PR problems, but who insisted people should wait until after the main event before pronouncing judgement?

Stanford's stated aim is to help West Indian cricket get back to the state of dominance they enjoyed in the late seventies and early eighties. A single win in a Twenty20 game over a modest England side gives no clue at all as to whether he is assisting in that effort.

The money he is providing, some of which should filter through to the various cricket bodies in the Caribbean is however sorely needed and the fresh confidence that a high-profile win over England has provided will be a boost -- as will the images of a packed cricket ground in party mood.

But in terms of the politics behind the event -- a quick-fix way to appease players who might be tempted to join the lucrative Indian Premier League -- the picture is less clear.

By losing, England's players have not matched the big-money made by those who have signed up to the IPL and with a potential opening to England players by the league there remains the possibility that the likes of Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will be unable to resist a big-money deal in India.

Stanford has broken out of his regional fiefdom and into the international cricket scene for the first time.

England's participation in the tournament -- not an official international -- will make it easier for Stanford to attract others to join in any future jamborees he decides to put on but the lack of status does not yet make him a real alternative to the IPL.

By setting a precedent that private teams can play national teams, there is the chance now that other wealthy men will try to put on 'prize fights' -- adding to the already complex international cricket calendar and the increasingly fragmented power structures in the game.

For Allen Stanford it was more about the money than the good of the game as he has openly stated this match to be sort of an investment for the future as he targets to get a viewer-ship of over 90 million and to bring the shorter version of the game in competition with football.

Irish playwright Oscar Wilde once defined a cynic as someone "who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." for some people this may be the best sentence to define what Allen Stanford is all about.

By allowing the England team to be hired out to Stanford, the ECB may have established an unfortunate precedent which limits their room for manoeuvre in future talks regarding scheduling and fixture congestion.

The big picture is that cricket is in a confused state -- Twenty20's popularity threatens the traditional five-day Test match that purists love and the money it generates is already creating a huge disequilibrium between the two forms of the game.

So this was either the most nakedly commercial exercise imaginable or a near-charitable undertaking. It either 'was' or 'wasn't' cricket.

Explaining cricket to an American, or anyone who hasn't grown up with the sport, can be difficult. Working out what Stanford's involvement means for cricket could prove an even tougher task for those running the game.

Stanford's cash adds to both the confusion and the imbalance with neither he nor the IPL showing any signs of going away, the game's governing global body, the International Cricket Council, has some tough choices ahead.

It is nice to have a former Test cricketer and seasoned administrator as the new PCB chief and now one can expect some right decisions for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan. This hope was expressed by the well known sports organiser, former international badminton star and father of two Test cricketers, Farhat Hussain Siddiqui while talking to 'The News on Sunday' (TNS) last week at his residence.

Before going into the details of the conversation, it is necessary to have a view of the Farhat family's contribution in different games.

Farhat Siddiqui has served the motherland in different key roles in cricket, hockey, badminton, athletics, judo and baseball for the last thirty years. It won't be wrong if we say that he is one of the key figures behind Pakistan women's cricket, hockey and baseball etc. No doubt he is one of the pioneers of women's sports in Pakistan.

His multiple services during the last three decades are enough to explain his status in Pakistan sports. People like Farhat Siddiqui are no doubt an asset to Pakistan hockey, cricket and other sports.

Farhat himself, his two sons and five sisters, who were popularly known as the Jabeen sisters, have served Pakistan in different games. Besides being a known administrator, physical trainer and highly gifted player, Farhat was also an international level organiser. He has the distinction of being the chief organiser of the first-ever Islamic Games at Islamabad a few years ago.

His sister Abida Jabeen has led Pakistan against the visiting Zimbabwean and Chinese hockey teams. Similarly, Azra Jabeen and Arifa Jabeen, who were University blue winners, also played top level cricket, hockey and badminton for the country. Farhat was also appointed as coach of the national women hockey team by Brig MH Atif against the visiting Zimbabwean team in the early 1980s.

Humayun Farhat, who performed brilliantly in the first edition of the Indian Cricket League (ICL), has also represented Pakistan in badminton, baseball and hockey at the junior level. Humayun, who won the national junior badminton title in the 1990s, has been declared best catcher in the Junior Asian Baseball Championship. Similarly Imran Farhat had also great potential of badminton, football and hockey besides being a cricket genius.

Farhat Siddiqui said that new PCB chief Ijaz Butt has demonstrated his excellent administrative skills in different capacities on a number of occasions in the past. "There is no dearth of sensible cricketers in Pakistan and the new PCB leadership must hire stars like Javed Miandad and Majid Khan in different roles to extract maximum good results in their respective fields. The new PCB chief will have to get rid of tried and tested -- and unsuccessful -- people if he wants to serve the game in a truly professional manner," he advised.

He further said that the new PCB chief should conduct a fair probe against all the wrongdoers during the last couple of years.

When his attention was drawn towards the new selection committee, Farhat said, "The new selection committee comprises comparatively young Test cricketers, who had better knowledge of modern cricket and its requirements and that's why they can play an effective role in forming a formidable Pakistan outfit for future commitments."

To another question, Farhat said that his son Imran and his teammates are professional cricketers and by playing in the ICL they are promoting the name of Pakistan throughout the world. "We are quite hopeful that the new PCB chief will show leniency towards the ICL-contracted players and lift the national and international ban on them."

Farhat said that Imran and his fellow ICL-contracted players are still desperate to represent their country. "They are still waiting for a call from the PCB," he added.

Answering another query, Farhat said, "Most of the ICL-contracted Pakistan players are so young and they can play for Pakistan for another 8/10 years."

Answering a question regarding allegations of being disloyal to the country, Farhat, who is serving as a Physical Educationist and Director Sports of the Government Law College in Lahore, said, "Me and my sons are not disloyal to Pakistan. We still want to serve our country. Treacherous were those who dropped and ignored stars like Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir and Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shahid Nazir from the national team."

The highest cricketing authority of the country must conduct a probe into biased selection and other wrong-doings during the previous era. "The incompetent and ignorant selectors, who didn't know the basics of selection criteria, must be held responsible for the feeble status of Pakistan cricket these days," he demanded.

While showing his son Humayun's best wicket-keeper trophies, he said Humayun has been best wicket-keeper during the last seven years from 2001-07 minus 2004 when he was in England. "Humayun's performance is on record and anybody can check his wonderful seasons with Pakistan's leading domestic team Habib Bank," he stressed.

"These trophies can only be won through performance but alas nobody cares about his superb performance. He was not only not considered by the PCB selectors but also deprived of any kind of retainership," he lamented.

Apart from his excellent wicket-keeping, Humayun has been one of the leading scorers for HBL. "Even in one of the seasons, he was just a couple runs short of being named as the best batsman of the year," he informed.

Farhat told that HBL won the Pentangular title recently only due to Humayun's excellent performance both in front and behind the stumps. "If somebody is playing exceptionally well he must be given a chance at some level. Both Humayun and Imran were the best wicket-keeper and batsman respectively in the season 2006-07 but then they both were ignored deliberately."

Farhat said that in this regard he had an argument with former COO of PCB Shafqat Naghami. "Naghmi claimed that Humayun was overaged and that's why they're not considering him for selection." But the PCB official was wrong because a year ago Humayun was hardly 28 and easily could serve Pakistan for another 4/5 years and above all he was a much better performer than Kamran Akmal, who was struggling both in front and behind the stumps in 2006-07.

To a query regarding the Pakistan cricketers' performance in the ICL, Farhat said, "Overall our cricketers are demonstrating an excellent game in the ICL. Former England cricketer and TV commentator Tony Greig, after watching Lahore Badshahs' superb performance in the ICL, said that this team seems better than Pakistan's national side," he further informed.

When asked to comment on PCB's stance on ICL-contracted players, Farhat said, "First of all previous PCB high ups and selectors were responsible if competent Pakistan cricketers like Imran Farhat, Humayun, Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Nazir and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan opted for the ICL."

These versatile cricketers did not get any offer or lenient response from PCB and that's why they joined the ICL. "As far as ICL contracts are concerned, there is no such clause that binds any player from playing for his country," he claimed.

Farhat said that he could have achieved great success in cricket, hockey and badminton but unfortunately he never took any game seriously. "Though I could not play first-class cricket due to my non-serious approach, I was a better cricketer than many national team players," he added.

"During my University days, I used to grab top positions in 11 disciplines out of 12 and I think that's enough proof of my athletic potential. I represented Pakistan in an international badminton tournament at Bangkok and won the national badminton doubles title in 1979," he further said.

To another query, Farhat said that he had great attachment with fast bowling legend Fazal Mahmood. "I worked with Fazal for six years from 1981-86 for the uplift of cricket and produced many stars of the present and yesteryear," he disclosed.